Different Paths
by BeshterAngelus
Summary: Anakin Skywalker has a simple chose to make, between his soul and ideals and the woman he loves. One simple choice can change everything, except the fact he has a destiny to face.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Eight hundred years did not necessarily always confer wisdom on any creature, but it did confer respect. After all, few beings in the universe could claim to have that long or distinguished of a lifespan, and yet Yoda himself frequently brought it up. Especially in the face of the impudent young ones who often felt it wise to argue with their Masters. Not that Yoda ever meant anything from this, pride was an emotion that a Jedi could not dwell on, but the respect it implied did quell the querulous indignant nature of youth.

However, in these dark moments, alone in the Jedi Temple, staring out over the glittering jewel of Coruscant, Yoda wished for the wisdom many believed age conferred. Through many generations of Jedi he had sat, and watched, and listened. And now, in these dark times, nothing in his many centuries of existence could prepare him for the storm he knew would be coming soon. Even his vision was clouded, lost in the streams of the Force like a leaf upon a turbulent wind. The more he tried to grasp at it, the more that the darkness clouded his ways.

"Too old," he murmured, "too old am I, yes." He hated to admit it. His body was no less limber, his mind no less sharp, but his awareness…yes, that was the problem.

"Deep thoughts, my Master," Mace Windu's deep, dark voice sounded from across the sitting room, his dark, ebony face cloaked by the hood he had drawn around it.

"Deep thoughts, I have, yes," Yoda acceded, "dark times they do accompany, Master Windu." Yoda turned to face the taller human. He watched his old pupil, who made his own thoughtful steps towards the window overlooking the capital planet.

"I wondered if you had felt it," Master Windu continued, watching the steady stream of air speeders passing by the Jedi Temple. "It's been growing, that dark feeling. There is one who is growing in power and strength. Soon, they'll make their move."

"Most effective have they been at clouding out vision of them. What, now thirteen years we have been searching?" Yoda knew that it had been only since the death of Qui-Gon Jin that they had ever known outright of the return of the Sith Lords from the mythology of the Jedi's history. But for much longer had their power been growing. He had known, and he had missed it.

The elder Master could easily feel Windu's unease, "Troubled too you be, Master Windu?" Yoda knew what it concerned. He merely waited for his old student's response.

"The Chancellor's growth has me worried." Windu was perhaps one of the strongest advocates of the traditional Republic in the entire Jedi Council. But it was Mace Windu's eye that had been watching matters in the Chancellor's office and in the Republican Senate. "If he refused to revoke his emergency powers when word reaches us from Master Kenobi…"

"Then confront him we must," Yoda nodded his graying, green head in ascent. "He will not go easily. There is more about Chancellor Palapatine than we know. Hides it well, he does, in the manner of all untrustworthy men before."

Windu turned and looked down on Yoda, his face troubled. "He's not the only one in there I worry about."

"Young Skywalker, yes, trouble me as well he has." Yoda turned from the window then, shaking his head. As much as his worry over Anakin Skywalker was, the misplaced distrust of Mace Windu was equally worrisome to him. And yet, to this point, he had said nothing, thinking that the elder Jedi's hesitance to embrace Anakin and his powers was a careful balance to the boy's own ambition. But now…

"I don't trust him, Master Yoda," Mace repeated for what Yoda thought was perhaps the millionth time. Patiently Yoda sighed. Mace continued. "I know you feel I'm being unreasonable, but, there's something about him, something about his arrogance, his drive, his ambition. It's not right, Master, it's not our way."

"And yet, the boy's heart is in the right place," Yoda pointed out with a twitch of one of his long, green ears. "He knows our Code as well as other Knights, he knows our duty,"

"And yet he is still wishing for things that aren't our way," Windu insisted, pulling down his hood, allowing the light from the window to gleam on the dark skin of his bald head. "He wishes for prestige, power, to be…"

"Something more that a slave boy from Tatooine, he does wish," Yoda placidly looked up, seeing the consternation and confusion on the other man's face. "Yes, young Skywalker displays much that we do not condone, but…I wonder…" Yoda looked away, a thought striking him through the Force, a bit of insight that had suddenly burst on him, as a ray of light from behind a darkened cloud.

"Too long have we been set in our ways, Master Windu." Yoda continued faintly, his mind leaping in thought, ideas tumbling one over the other.

"Their still our ways, Master Yoda, should we change them for one, headstrong boy merely because he refuses to conform?" Windu insisted.

"No, change our ways to please him, we must not. Perhaps that is not why we must change our ways." Yoda nodded to himself. Yes, he realized this new train of thought needed more time, more careful consideration.

"Speak with you more I will when I return. Off to help the Wookie am I, and inform you of outcome will I. Keep me up to date on the mission of Master Kenobi." Yoda nodded his head at his former pupil as a means of goodbye, and made his way through the Temple, to the carrier meant to take him to the battlefront.

Yes, young Skywalker had much he had to learn, patience, self-control, and most of all letting go. But there was something he knew, something he understood about the Force that Yoda felt that was missing. He recalled the ancient prophecy, the one Qui-Gon Jin was convinced fit this young slave boy from an Outer Rim world, and remember what it said.

"Balance to the Force," Yoda murmured. Yes, perhaps Skywalker would do that, and in a way that none, not even the venerable Jedi Master could suspect.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Scared, confused, and angry, Anakin Skywalker watched as Master Windu and the other members of the Jedi Council stalked across the tarmac to their waiting speeder, the words of the elder Master ringing in his ears.

"Go up to the Council room and wait," Anakin muttered sourly, the stinging on his pride making him physically wince. "Earn his trust? When have I not had it?"

The voice in his head reminded him of his illicit marriage then; of his many times where he left passion and anger cast him into the thick of battle rather than waiting for the opportunity. He felt the shame quell his heated emotions quickly. Yes, there was plenty of cause to earn the distrust of the Jedi Council.

Thoughts heavy, Anakin turned away from the departing speeder, making his way slowly to the Jedi Council chambers. He brain churned with the many ideas in his mind, images of his Master, of the Chancellor-cum-Sith Lord, and of his beloved Padme. Oh, Padme, what were they to do? Who were they to turn to now? The one man who seemed to understand now seemed to be that one thing Anakin himself was destined to face and destroy, his Destiny, he the Chosen One, the one that the Force had deemed to face its dark side and bring balance.

Anakin felt his heart ache at this. He had no desire to bring balance, or to face the Dark Side; his desire was to live happily with his wife and their expected child. And yet, he knew this was against the Jedi Code, the Jedi way. Never to be attached, never to get involved personally, never to love, these were the ways of the Light side of the Force supposedly.

Yet if this was the Light side, why was it that he was so alone?

Anakin entered the sacred chamber of the council, walking towards its window overlooking the city. From the distance he could see Master Windu's air speeder make its way to the Chancellor's tower. He could hear the Chancellor's voice, silky, seductive, whispering as if he were right there beside Anakin.

"If you let them take me, you'll never be able to save her."

Anakin looked towards the Senatorial residence, the large, lavish tower that he and Padme called home. He could almost see her on her balcony, looking towards where he stood, watching him. It tore at his soul, the idea that she would be gone forever, that their child would be gone forever. He couldn't lose her, not the only thing he had left, not the one creature in this universe he loved more than life itself.

Master Yoda's admonitions haunted him then, about a Jedi not caring too much, about him not attaching himself too hard to anyone. A Jedi cannot keep an open mind, cannot detach himself from his fear and anger if he dares to have emotional attachments. Anakin knew the wisdom of these words, knew there was truth, and yet…

How can one live, if one cannot feel? How can one ever adapt if one could not truly understand ones self? These were the questions Anakin asked himself as he watched the air speeder land on top of the Chancellor's building. That building, a place where for a thousand years, the Jedi had guarded and kept the Republic free from all threats, and now it sought to hasten the change that would perhaps bring it down forever. Anakin felt the sick, cold feeling in his stomach. The Jedi were falling about him, and he knew it. They were playing into the Senator's hands. They would try to arrest him, and in so doing, prove that they were traitors, one and all.

The Dark Side was insidious indeed. It was daring to inflame the Jedi at the price of their Order, and it was daring to seduce Anakin at the price of his very soul.

As quickly as his Force-honed senses allowed him, he raced down from the Council chambers and to the bay, where his speeder waited. Artoo was quickly inside the craft after him. Revving the small ships engines, he took off from the bay, zooming against traffic, weaving out of the way of signaling cruisers and whining air bikes, pushing his engines towards the Chancellor's building. He managed to land with the same speed that he had entered, touching down on the landing pad, and no sooner then the engines shut down, he had managed to be out of the craft and most of the way up the red, carpeted ramp into the main hall.

He didn't need to see the scene inside to know what was going on. The place already smelled of ozone and charred flesh. Anakin's lightsabre was in his hand before he could begin to think of the reasons why. The distant sound of crackling told him that there was a duel already being fought, that of Jedi Master and Sith Lord.

He raced down the hallway, stopping only momentarily to stare down at the bodies of the fallen Council members around him. All of them dead, cut down, Masters one and all. Their alien forms were slashed, some with looks of surprise on their strange, yet familiar faces, as if they still hadn't grasped the idea that their leader, the man they had pledged their allegiance too, was indeed the very Sith Lord they had been searching for.

Anakin knew how they felt.

From inside Palapatine's office came the sounds of the duel, and Anakin rushed inside in time to see Mace Windu slash out at the old Chancellor, crashing the large, durasteel window his office, and send the Sith Lord's lightsabre flying. With an alacrity belying his years, Palapatine scuttled back, Mace Windu's saber at his throat.

"Master," Anakin called, alarm on his face. Palapatine turned to face Anakin; Windu merely eyed him out of the corner of his large eyes, but did not turn away from his prey.

"Anakin, please, help me, they are trying to kill me." The Chancellor's voice was soft, weak, pleading, almost helpless. Anakin knew that it was seductive, knew that if he listened, that the Sith Lord would gain the advantage. How could one who preached that he had powers unknown to the Jedi one moment be so easily taken down by one in the next?

"Master, don't." Anakin said softly, his lightsabre ready. "You know it's not our way."

"He's a Sith Lord, Skywalker; we are sworn to kill them." Windu replied evenly, but firmly. "Palapatine has taken far too much control here, he runs the Senate and the courts, and we can't hope to give him a fair trial."

"But we can't just kill him," Anakin insisted. "It's not the Jedi way. It's not in our Code!"

Windu looked resolute. "If we don't, it will be the end for us all."

The Chancellor whimpered on the floor below them both. "Please, Anakin, it's a plot, I told you…"

"Stay out of this, Skywalker," Windu raised his blade high. The Chancellor cowered, as if waiting for the final blow.

Anakin didn't really think, so much as he reacted. His blade met the other Master's with a crackling that jarred the tall, dark skinned man to look at him. Surprised, his eyes widened in confusion.

"Master," Anakin said simply, pushing back the anger and confusion he felt at all of this, trying desperately to clear his mind in order to reach one of his own. "This is not our way." His thoughts drifted back to the sick feeling he had when, standing right before the Chancellor he slaughtered Dooku, taking his head. "This isn't the way of the Jedi. We'll take him, he'll be tried."

Windu stared at him for a long moment. He stared so hard; he seemed almost to be staring through Anakin. Slowly, nearly imperceptibly, his stance straightened, his blade lowered. Anakin removed his own, turning towards the Chancellor as he did so.

"You are under arrest, Chancellor, and you know it." Anakin said simply.

All pretenses of his apparent fragility vanished in a blink of the Chancellor's eye, as he lip curled then, his pupils hardened, and his face grimaced with displeasure. "I thought you were stronger than that, Skywalker." Palapatine spat viciously. "What, have you decided to place your precious order above your Republic, above your values…above your wife?"

Master Windu, if he noticed, said nothing, but merely gestured at the man to stand with the tip of his lightsabre. "You will stand before the Jedi Council, Palapatine, you will have to answer for your crimes against the Republic, for your part in this war, and for you're…"

"Do you really think, Jedi, the weak and emaciated Council can do a think to bring me to your so called justice?" Palapatine laughed. It was a dark, cold sound that chilled Anakin to his bone. "You all can't see the festering cancer that is within your own core, so blinded are you by your precious Code. I had hoped that one of you would at least see it, be strong, and weed your pathetic like from the Universe." He glared at Anakin then. "I see you are just as misguided as the rest."

Anakin shook his head. "Perhaps, Chancellor, but my soul is not yours to play with." Not anymore at least, he thought quietly.

"Is it not?" The Chancellor seemed amused by this. "You'll find, Anakin Skywalker, that when I'm done with you, you will be begging for me to take you on as my apprentice."

Anakin had no time to move his blade into a defensive position, before Palapatine raised his hands and out of their tips moved a powerful, blue lightening. Cursing himself for dropping his defenses, Anakin attempted to leap out of the way, but to no avail. It leapt for his clothes, it jolted through his skin, his very bones, and the tissues of his being were burning, melting. He thought he felt himself scream, but wasn't sure. He knew he felt himself buckle, as his knees hit the cold marble floor with an angry jarring. He thought of Padme, sitting in her tower, wondering about him, of his fate. He had tried so hard to save her.

The excruciating pain left nearly as soon as it started. It left Anakin breathless and covered in sweat; so weak his eyes were barely open. He reached through the Force to see if Windu was still alive, feeling the faint presence of the Master, who, like himself was shaken, and weakened.

"Now, my two Jedi, you will meet the same ending I have for all of those who dare to cross my path." He chuckled evilly. "Don't be sad, however, I assure you, the rest of your kind will join you soon enough in the Force."

Unable to react Anakin felt the next wave lift him off his knees was even stronger than the first. His muscles, jarring with the electric pulses, they would not listen to his commands as he desperately willed them to grab on to something, anything. He felt himself rush across the floor, his body skidding, as it crossed the threshold of the window, and fell out, into nothingness.

He was falling aimlessly through the skies of Coruscant, and had no way of stopping himself.

"So this is how I'm going to die," Anakin thought grimly, even as he watched the arcs of lightening fade out above him.

He felt like he was falling forever, his mind blurred with pain, his muscles numb with the shock. Even his catlike, Jedi reflexes were shortened, the nerves in his leg and arm not responding to even his voluntary commands under conscious effort to move them.

So this was how the Chosen One would fall, at the hands of an unknown Sith Lord, because of the blindness and the hubris of the Jedi and their power. In any other circumstances, with perhaps any other Jedi, this would have been the moment they would have gracefully accepted the will of the Force and allowed themselves to fade into oneness with it. But Anakin Skywalker was hardly any other Jedi.

And he hardly ever accepted anything with any sort of grace.

He looked about himself frantically, the rushing wind and the flashing lights. Just below him, the sound of fast moving speeders could be heard, he thought of perhaps landing on one, taking it over. But his reflexes were dulled now, and there was no reaction out of the mechanical arm at all. Shorted, he thought ruefully. He flexed his left arm, the still flesh one, and it began to rather angrily respond to his commands. The tingling inside the nerves was enough to make him yelp, but it was some sort of sensation. Now, to find a way of stopping, a ledge, perhaps, or an outcropping, something along the slick surfaces of the Coruscant buildings to slow his fall.

Just below him, as the Force would have it, was just the ledge he needed, the top of a building where a speeder pad sat, it was well lit for landings. Reaching out with his only working arm, he tried to ready himself for the full weight of the impact, willing his still painful hand to cling on as he met the durasteel. With a bone-crunching jarring, he met the hard surface, his jawbone cracking painfully against the edge, as the rest of his frame smacked against the side of the building. But his hand, desperately, clung to the edge, holding him there, preventing him from a further fall.

There, he was safe, and yet, he couldn't move. It was all his injured arm could do to cling to the precipice he was at, and he could tell by the numb stabbing in his face, and the blood filling his mouth, that he had perhaps broken his jaw, as well as several ribs in his impact on the building. The pain from this, as well as the Chancellor's attack, was suddenly hitting him full force now. If only he could manage a foot beneath him, to push himself up with the Force, up and over the ledge…

"Hey, over there, what's that?" The voice was a thick, alien voice in Basic, though it couldn't be its native language. It called out to other voices, which all began murmuring. Anakin seriously hoped it was about him.

"Did you see it, he fell from so far?" Another voice cried, this time sounding as if it was rushing over.

"He isn't over yet, look! See his arm?" The original voice sounded excited, and they rushed over. Sure enough, strange faces peeked over the edge of the wall down at Anakin, orange faced, with three eyes, all of them staring down at Anakin with amazement and concern.

"Hurry, get him up," one of them said to the other, and they reached for his arm and shoulder. Anakin tried hard not to cry out with pain as injured bones and bruised muscles protested.

"He's hurt bad," one of the creatures whispered, as the other one made a noise remarkably similar to a human snort.

"Course he is, you would be too, if you fell that far. Probably was drunk, driving around in his speeder, and fell out." It was a simple explanation, and Anakin, too much in pain, didn't feel he had to correct them.

"Not him, he'd have not landed like that." The other alien shook its head. "Nope, he's a Jedi, see his belt. That's where they hang their lightsabres."

"If he was a Jedi, why would he be falling through the sky?"

"Don't know. Why do Jedi ever do the things they do?"

Anakin had long since stopped listening to the debate, now safe on the landing pad, he slumped on the ground, staring up at the dark sky in agony. He'd have rather have died than listen to his rescuers debate over his legitimacy as a Jedi. His mouth thick with blood, he turned his head to spit it out, before trying his best with his broken mouth to utter a single word.

"Amidala," he groaned, or tried to at least. It sounded more like a gurgle than a woman's name.

"What did he say?" The first alien asked his companion.

"Army-lala, never heard of it." The second shook its head. "Must be delusional, in pain, best get him to a medic somewhere…"

Anakin shook his head, wincing heavily at the pain it caused him as he did so. "Pah-me Am-a-thala…" He stopped, screwing his eyes against the excruciating burning in his face. "Thenator…." It was all he could manage.

"Sounds like he's asking for a Senator," the first alien whispered.

"Nonsense, why would he?" The second said, reaching towards his waist, where a comlink dangled heavily.

"'Cause this is Republic center, your idiot, the whole place is crawling with Senators." The first alien struck the second in the shoulder, causing the other to frown in irritation. "I bet this one is a bodyguard or something to one, and that's what he was up to. A Senator….Amathala?"

Anakin could only hope these two creatures would work it through. He hoped with all the might of his considerable hold on the Force that they could. Even as the two tried to work it out, he felt the fingers of unconsciousness grab him, pulling him down, as he wondered what was to become of himself, his wife…and even more, his fellow Jedi.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bail Organa's face was grim over the holographic image, his voice heavy and distraught.

"The entire Temple has been overrun. There are storm troopers by the thousands all over. I saw the smoke and fire, and rushed there to see what was going on. I was stopped by a patrol on the landing pad. They said something about a Jedi plot, just before murdering a padawan learner right in front of me." A handsome man of middle years, Bail Organa suddenly looked rather old in those moments to Padme Amidala.

"Nothing of the Knights or Masters then," Padme tried not to sound desperate, tried not to blurt out Anakin's name. Bail shook his head.

"Those that were in the temple could well be dead now. Those that are out, they might still be alive, but a signal is being sent out telling them to return. I'm sending out a coded message to any Jedi who can pick it up, telling them to reach me if possible."

Padme nodded, fear causing her throat to tighten to the point of incapability of speaking. "Any news then on what the Jedi have done?"

"None, though I suspect that it has something to do with General Grievous' defeat. I expect that there will be a special session of the Senate called. Will you be putting in your attendance?" Bail knew exactly how Padme and Naboo felt about their former Senator's use of his power of late, especially in these late wars. But could she publicly stand against him, even as his government was being threatened?

Even if in her heart, she could never believe that the Jedi had turned against their ideals?

"I'll be there. Do you wish to sit with Naboo for the explanation then?" Padme rather didn't wish to sit alone, and the Gungans had recalled Jar Jar Binks earlier that week.

"I'd be honored. I'm sure they will inform us soon of the meeting, I'll meet you there then?" Padme nodded her affirmation, and the holographic image of Bail Organa winked out.

She stared out the window then, across the wide expanse of city, towards the Jedi Temple, where very likely, her own husband lay dead, or dying. No, he wasn't, she tried to assure herself, he couldn't be. She would have known it. Still, those seeds of doubt…

"Mistress Padme," the voice of Threepio, the protocol droid, sounded behind her, worried and fretful. "Master Anakin's ship has just arrived at the docking pad, and Artoo Deetoo has reported in."

"Is he all right," Padme was up and rushing towards her private landing pad as fast as her pregnant body would allow her to move.

"Well, milady," Threepio was trailing after her; his stiff robotic parts unable to move as quickly as her own. "No, milady," his voice called after her, but was unable to reach her until she had stopped at the empty speeder, there with Anakin's mech droid sitting, whistling at her sorrowfully.

"What is it?" She asked, her voice edged with hysteria, "Where is Ani?"

"That's just it," Threepio had finally reached the landing pad, his stiff steps delaying him at the foot of the stairs. "Artoo says that Master Anakin didn't return and that he barely got the ship out of the Chancellor's hangar at all."

"The Chancellor's hangar," Padme stared at the small droid, mystified. "What were you doing there?"

Artoo made a series of noises that Threepio quickly translated for her.

"He says that Master Anakin left the Temple to go there, and he never returned. The Chancellor's guards then tried to impound the vehicle, but Artoo thought it best to bring it here." The smaller droid whistled in agreement to Threepio's statement.

Padme felt the blood quickly drain from all parts of her body, felt her lungs tighten suddenly, as if she couldn't breathe. "Any word as to where he is?"

"Any call to the Chancellor's office says he returned to the Temple after speaking with the Chancellor this afternoon."

Padme turned to the burning Temple then. Was he truly gone away from her?

A sound at the door, the ringing of her security bell, and murmured voices caught her attention. She turned inside, in time to see one of her handmaidens, Elle, rushing towards her, concern written all over her pretty face.

"Milady, there are some gentlemen at the door asking to see you." She looked anxious. As the girl was one of her many bodyguards, Padme knew to be alarmed.

"What do they want?" Padme asked quickly.

"They say they have someone with them who is asking for you, a Jedi they think." Elle frowned slightly. "I thought perhaps it was your husband, milady, but they wouldn't let me see him. They said he was too injured."

Padme tried not to let her sense of alarm then override her practical thought. They could be assassins, or even spies out to ferret out her allegiance to the Chancellor. "Take Captain Tycho and two of his most trusted men downstairs to see. Report to me as soon as you know," quickly the handmaiden nodded, and made her way to the security room. Padme watched her go in silence.

She waited in agony for twenty minutes as she watched the front door, jumping up as it rushed open suddenly, as two men and Captain Tycho bearing the limp form of her Jedi husband between them. Elle was close behind, and rushed towards the security room as Captain Tycho barked orders for her to erase all security tapes.

Padme rushed to the men as they made their way to the closest sofa, being careful to lay her husband down as gently as possible. She tried not to break into hysteric tears as she saw his bruised, bloody face, or the charred mess that was his mechanical arm. Tycho quickly ran her down on what information was made available to him.

"He was found by some air speeder mechanics at a hotel near the Chancellor's building. Apparently he had fallen from some height, and had only just managed to cling on when they grabbed him. Most of his injuries are from the fall. He looks as if he has a broken jaw and perhaps some internal injuries." Tycho glanced down at the younger man briefly. "I can't be sure, milady, but I think with some immediate medical help, he'll recover."

Padme nodded, her face set in the businesslike manner she always took on when faced with a challenge. "Very well, you have Elle erasing the tapes then?"

Tycho nodded quickly.

"Very good, contact Bail Organa, tell him I need him here urgently. Then I need you to…"

The sound of her video link going off stopped Padme mid sentence. Threepio hurried over to answer its ringing.

The familiar, blue face of one of the Chancellor's aids could be seen on the screen.

"Is Senator Amidala available?"

Threepio turned to Padme, who nodded, and crossed to the screen herself. "I am here." She said perfunctorily, forgoing the usual politeness of the Senate.

"Your presence is requested at an emergency meeting of the Senate, milady." Ahhh, the meeting she had been expecting ever since the fires at the Jedi Temple began to burn.

"Very well," Padme knew that there had to be an answer to all this somewhere. "I'll be in attendance shortly." She clicked out of communication, and turned back to her captain of security.

"All right, then, change of plans," she nodded firmly to herself. "Captain, take my ship, take my husband with you. Take him home for me for the moment, if anyone asks for call signs while there, state it's my ship and I'm returning to my retreat. I doubt anyone will ask. As soon as I can, I and Senator Organa will meet you there."

"Yes, milady," Captain Tycho nodded. "As to his injuries, what should I do?"

"Ask for the Queen's medics, tell them it's an emergency. I can trust on the matter." Queen Apailana owed Padme quite a bit. Besides, all former Queens knew what it was to keep their word and their silence.

"Very good, milady," Captain Tycho motioned to his men, who made to lift Anakin from the couch to her ship. Before they got too far, however, Padme stopped them long enough to kiss her husband softy on his forehead, and then nodded at the men to continue on.

However he ended up like this, whatever was going on, Padme had a feeling that the old world was changing forever. Her heart sank then, painfully to somewhere just above where her still growing child nestled in her womb. She placed a comforting hand on the swell of her stomach.

"We shall get to the bottom of this, shan't we?" She whispered to her unborn child, watching in painful silence as the Jedi Temple continued to burn.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Obi-Wan Kenobi had not expected the blast that had sent him careening down into the watery depths below him. Nor had he expected to be hunted by the very men he had thought he was leading. But, as he sat in the cockpit of his ship, staring at the holographic image of Bail Organa, he had least of all expected this.

"The Jedi Temple has been destroyed. Everyone within it has been killed." Bail's words cut through Obi-Wan's heart like a lightsaber. His world, his friends, his teachers, all gone, the idea seemed nigh on impossible, and yet, as he reached out with his feelings, with the 'living force' as his old master had taught him, he knew it to be true.

Dead, dead, they were all dead. Obi-Wan's heart broke at the utter void of it.

"Anything of survivors then," Obi-Wan asked.

"Nothing, though we did receive a signal from Master Yoda, we are going to intercept his escape pod even now. We've sent signals out to other Jedi to not return home, though a signal from the Temple is telling them otherwise. I fear it's a tool to trap them into returning."

It was a slaughter, a mass genocide of the Jedi from the universe. Who would do such a thing?

"Any words as to why this is happening?" Obi-Wan asked in a soft voice.

"The Chancellor has stated something about a plot on the part of the Jedi. I don't know much more than that, I am scheduled to attend a meeting of the Senate to get further explanations." The Senator watched the Jedi Master carefully. "Do you wish to meet with us then?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Give me your coordinates, I'll rendezvous." He programmed his ships computer, his mind reeling at the sudden and painful loss. His entire way of life, gone in what seemed an instant.

Anakin, he wondered, what had become of him? He was closest to the Chancellor. Obi-Wan had put him there, despite his protests to the Council. Anakin, the Chosen One, the one who would bring down the power of the Sith Lords, he might very well have been the first to be destroyed.

"What have I done?" Obi-Wan whispered as his ship jumped suddenly, and a million stars streaked past him into blurs of light.

The Senator's ship, the Tantive IV, was a sleek, functional ship, not showy or attention drawing. So as it sat at a spaceport with other freighter ships and personal cruisers, no one paid it much mind. This was rather good in the opinion of Obi-Wan, as it now harbored two fugitive Jedi in its hold. Obi-Wan disembarked from his ship, facing the Senator and his Jedi Master.

Yoda, who just days before had seemed his rather normal self, was now a sick shade of green-gray, his large, soulful eyes shadowed and guilt ridden. He regarded Obi-Wan with a look of painful acceptance. Yes, their way of life was gone, but those that they loved were with the Force.

Still, it made it no easier to bear, even for a Jedi Master.

"Have we heard from any survivors then?" Obi-Wan asked his master as the three men made their way to the upper decks of the ship.

"None, only yourself and I remain." Yoda shook his head sadly. "To the Temple we must go, change the signal we must. Else others into the trap they will fall."

Obi-Wan nodded as Bail Organa frowned at this idea. "If you go there, you'll be surely killed."

"No different then our brothers and sisters," Yoda replied, his green features sorrowful and grave. "Change the security code was must…and face the Chancellor."

Obi-Wan regarded Master Yoda with confusion. "Why would the Chancellor seek to destroy the Jedi, Master, wouldn't this gain him further enemies instead of friends?"

Bail Organa was the one to answer this question. "The Chancellor has taken on more and more power as the war has gone on, the one check to his balance has been the Jedi."

"No more obstacles remain, if removed is our influence." Yoda nodded his head. "We must return, Master Kenobi, and see what it is that has become of our fellows.

As the three men headed towards the bridge, the tall, thin face of the Captain of the ship, one of Bail's relatives, looked up from his data pad and looked upon the Senator with relief. "Senator, you've been receiving emergency transmissions from Coruscant. It's Senator Amidala."

Bail gave the command to put her through, and moved to a video screen where the young woman's face appeared, strained and concerned. "Bail, have you found any others?"

Bail nodded. "I have Masters Kenobi and Yoda with me. So far, there have been no one else, though I'm sure there are others out there."

"I have one other. I'm sending him to a safe place for now far away from Coruscant."

Obi-Wan didn't need a name to know of whom she spoke. "Anakin," his voice was cautiously hopeful.

Padme nodded shortly. "I'll give you more details later, for now, I'll meet you at the Senate house, we'll be expected." She directed this statement to Bail. "And Master Kenobi, stay far away from Coruscant if you can. They are after you." With that grim warning, Padme signed out, leaving the three, pensive beings to contemplate the now dark screen.

"Anakin must be injured if she is sending him away from the planet," Obi-Wan murmured, worry furrowing his brow. He felt just the slightest bit of guilt then, knowing that while his former padawan survived, so many others didn't. At least Anakin had survived.

"Well, gentlemen, she has warned you." Bail gave them a sad, ironic smile. "But I have a feeling it will do little good."

Yoda shook his head. "Senator Amidala's concern is well placed, but this is something we must do." Yoda pointed at the ships front viewing window with his gimmer stick. "To Coruscant we will go, to our fates if need be."

Obi-Wan found wished he could at least see his former pupil and friend one more time before he did so.

Bail Organa had barely made it into the Senate chambers before the end of Chancellor Palapatine's speech, only doing so as a round of applause sounded around him. Sitting in the Nubian box was Padme Amidala, dressed gracefully as always, eyeing the situation with concern and fear.

"What have I missed?" Bail asked her in concern.

"The Chancellor has been outlining us on the plot of the Jedi to take over the government." Padme's voice and demeanor spoke clearly of her opinion on the matter.

Bail nodded, turning towards the Chancellor's podium as he spoke. The Chancellor himself looked rather odd, different than he had. He seemed disfigured, old…

More evil, Bail thought ruefully to himself.

Bail had long been opposing the Senator's actions in the Clone Wars, despite what many thought was the necessary evil of war. He, like Padme Amidala, had felt that diplomacy with the Trade Federation was the safest course of action to take. But their voices had been but a few in the many that had drowned them out in favor of military action. Now, after three long years, Naboo and Alderaan sat as two of the lone pacifists in the Republic, eyed suspiciously by everyone, including the Chancellor himself.

Odd, the Chancellor had been from Naboo, a peaceful planet on the whole, despite its own problems with the Trade Federation. It had not gone to the lengths Alderaan had in banning all weapons from its planet, but since Padme Amidala's reign as queen, the planet had enjoyed a strong peace between its Nubian and Gungan inhabitants. Bail wasn't sure how supportive Palapatine had been of the peace. He had assumed he had been. He did remember Palapatine's own inability to act with any efficiency when the Trade Federation had held his planet hostage.

He had rather adroitly taken the Chancellor's seat then, right from underneath Bail's nose as well. A man never to be trusted that was for sure. And now, he was declaring he could bring peace to the galaxy?

The Chancellor's voice rang through the halls of the Senate in deep, nearly dangerous tones. "And so, I have decided to create the first Galactic Empire, so that I may bring peace to our galaxy!"

The applause and cheering around the two Senators was deafening. On their feet, beings of every type stomped, cried, and clapped their praise, as the Chancellor-cum-Emperor bowed his head deferentially to the throng.

Struck dumb, Bail turned to Padme, who looked equally thunderstruck. With a sad smile of disappointment, she murmured to Bail, "So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause." She glanced at him wistfully. He knew how she felt.

The new-Emperor concluded his speech with the assurance that the Senate would remain, in order to give the individual planets a voice in the new government. It was a gesture that Bail was sure was meant to assure those such as himself and Padme, but he knew what it was about. No single power could control that many star systems without the individual help of their Senators. Let them think they are involved in the galactic government, and they will be so tied up in petty bureaucracy, that they could never hope to accomplish anything as an entity, least of all object to the now central rule of the Emperor. How neat and tidy this would be.

Padme rose then, looking about her cautiously. Other Senators were rising, murmuring about this change in their government, wondering how they would explain it to home worlds and systems. In an overly loud voice, she addressed him. "Senator Organa, I would rather like an escort home. With my condition, well, I'm afraid I'm feeling a bit tired. I would like to be assured I get home in one piece."

Bail knew her language, and what it really meant. As always, the careful Padme knew what eyes and ears followed in the Senate. "I would be pleased, Madam Senator." He took her outstretched hand, and leading her by the arm, walked out of their seating, and into the hallway.

"My ship then," he asked quickly and quietly. Padme nodded. The two were making their way down the hallway towards the Senate chambers exit, when the rather over loud whispers finally caught up with Padme. Perhaps on purpose, though she doubted it when she glanced at the Twi'lek and human conversing in the cacophonous hallway.

"So, the Jedi are traitors. I wonder how Senator Amidala will take it."

"Yes, she was rather close to them. Always had that one Knight about, that Skywalker, rather a dashing fellow wasn't he?"

"He must have been, as we see so aptly with her rather burgeoning form." Padme tried hard not to blush as the words floated towards her.

"You don't think…well, isn't that against their code?"

"So is insurrection, and apparently they could do that as well."

"Yes, well it looks as if she's well taken care of anyway. See how she's attached herself to Bail Organa?

"What! He's married; rather newly married I might add. He'd never leave a nice position such as that for a used up politician from a backwater planet, now would he?"

Bail squeezed Padme's arm then, noticing how white her knuckles had gone. "Don't listen to them, Padme. You know how Senate gossip is."

Padme's mouth had tightened with anger. "And they are the ones that cheer as their rights are taken away."

"Yes, sadly they are." Bail agreed, as he steered her through the crowd and out towards the tall, stately glass doors of the Senate chambers. He turned her then towards the landing pads, and there to his shuttle, which waited patiently for him.

"I will take you to the Tantive IV, it's waiting at the launching pad. I'll return as soon as I can."

"And the Jedi," Padme whispered as she settled her unwieldy body into his speeder.

"I should be getting a signal from them soon." Padme frowned with worry, but Bail shook his head.

"You know that those two can take care of themselves. They have survived this far. Besides, they are the only ones who know how to find the truth in there." Bail patted her arm softly. "Worry about that young husband of yours." Padme stared over at him in surprise. "You didn't think I hadn't guessed? After all, most political rumors after all have some grain of truth in them."

Padme nodded mutely. She wondered briefly who else knew about her rather large secret.

It had been a rather dangerous fight, but the guard contingent left there at the Temple now was relatively small, and between the two Jedi Masters, they eventually overcame it. Though, not without a bit of hard work there, as Obi-Wan fingered a laser burn across his right hand. No time to dwell on that at the moment, he carried the older, slower Master through the Temple to the main computer rooms, searching for the drive that carried the secret code that was beamed out to all the Jedi across the universe.

It took relatively little time to find and reset the signal, and the two Jedi were on their way back out to safety when Obi-Wan stopped. He stared at the security consol, for a long moment, considering it carefully.

"I have to see what happened." He murmured to Yoda, even as the older Jedi shook his head.

"Will only bring pain, what you see," Yoda warned, and Obi-Wan knew he was right. The death of all his comrades, the anger it would spark, this was a dangerous road to travel down.

"But I must know, Master. What is it that we are facing here?" He crossed to the consol and began searching through the numerous files.

He watched in horror as wave after wave of clones entered up the stairs, and with laser rifles taking down even the most adept of Knights and Masters. The younglings faired no better, huddled as they were in the Jedi Council Chamber, they were slaughtered as a hale of fire bolts flew into their hiding space. They, only armed with their practice sabers, were unable to even stop it. He felt his stomach turn at the sight.

"Who would order such a thing, against defenseless…" He stopped short. Entering into the room with so much carnage was a black, hooded figure. The aura of the Dark Side was strong around him; so strong Obi-Wan could sense it through the holographic recording.

"Palapatine…" He hissed, as the man cackled at the macabre scene around him.

"Sith is he. Blind to it have been we." Yoda said softly. "Blind to it have been I."

Obi-Wan turned to Yoda, his hand on his lightsaber, pain in his eyes. "Master, let me face him." 

"No!" Yoda's response was quick and definite. "No, too much grief and anger fills your mind, Master Kenobi. You of all people know this weakness, how it turns you, and fills you. Makes you easily the pawn of Palapatine, it does." A look of grim determination crossed his ancient face then. "Face him I will. Face him I must." Yoda nodded his head firmly, broking no argument. Master that he was, Obi-wan knew this.

"I'm sorry Master, I spoke…in haste…" Something he hadn't done since he himself was a padawan learner, since that horrible day on Naboo thirteen years ago when his own master died.

"To your old padawan you must go, Obi-Wan." Yoda said softly, a weariness entering his voice. "Chosen One he may be, but much turmoil he will face." Very cryptic, Yoda didn't look as if he wished to explain his words, and Obi-Wan knew he was being sent on his way."

"I'll have Senator Organa go with you, to use as a look out then?" Obi-Wan reached for his communicator.

Yoda only nodded as he watched the holographic image of the Dark Lord of the Sith on the security tape, watched mutely as he laughed at the death of a young, blonde haired child in front of him. It was a child that reminded Obi-Wan disturbingly of a young Anakin from Tattoine, so many years ago.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Padme Amidala sat nervously on the Tantive IV, watching out of the front hold window as the speeder quickly made its way towards Senator Organa's ship, breathing a slight sigh of relief at the form of the tall Alderaanian Senator and his much smaller companion in the vehicle's two seats. Beside her, she could feel Obi-Wan relax, even if visibly he had nothing but the air of calmness. She knew though what must have been going on in his mind and heart at this moment. All he had ever loved and cherished in this universe was gone now, destroyed by the machinations that he couldn't even see. And poor Obi-Wan, he had nothing now, his entire way of life was gone, was dead.

What would Anakin feel when he awoke, she wondered. How would she ever be able to tell him about this overwhelming loss? His mother had been one thing, but this….

"The Senator and Master Yoda have docked downstairs." Captain Antilles said coolly as he prepared the ship to leave the airspace of Coruscant.

"Shall we go down and meet them, then?" Obi-Wan regarded Padme with a questioning glance. She nodded, and with him, they made their way to the hold below.

If Padme Amidala had thought that Master Yoda had seemed ancient when she first laid eyes on him many years before, he seemed even more so at this moment. Not a bruise or a scar was on him, but she could see the wounds in his large, green eyes. He looked up to Obi-Wan and shook his head.

"Too powerful Darth Sidious is. Not strong enough was I to defeat him. Into hiding we must go." On of his large, pointed ears twitched downwards, drooping as if indicating the mood of its owner.

Padme blinked at Senator Organa. "You are going to great lengths doing this. If the Emperor were to hear of it…"

"He would have us both killed, yes, I know." Bail smiled grimly at this. "But there are ways around this, aren't there?"

"Yes," agreed Obi-Wan. "I'd send a message back to Padme's official residence stating that she hasn't been feeling well, that she fears complications due to her pregnancy. She is returning home to Naboo for a time. The Emperor and the Senate won't question this, not in her condition."

Padme still looked troubled. "Yes, but…" She knew that the Emperor was well aware of her, and who the father of her child was.

"Worry of such things later we can do. Today, this answer will suffice." Yoda waved a hand at her, as if he knew what it was that had crossed her mind. "Senator Organa will your escort be to ensure safely your ship arrives. Question not no one will why it has gone."

"Yes and no one will question medical teams at your residence there," Obi-Wan stroked his beard softly. "That is, if you are prepared to protect and hide rebel Jedi there for the briefest of times, milady.

Padme met Obi-Wan's soft gaze then, lifting her chin as she did so. Yes, she had once been a strong and wise Queen, one who had lead this man as a padawan learner and his Master with her on a daring raid on her own palace. If she could manage that, she could hide and protect three Jedi. "You are safe in my home as long as such safety I can ensure.

"Captain Antilles," Bail Organa spoke into a wrist communicator as he made his way to the deck. "Set a course for Naboo."

XXXX

Anakin had been dreaming, and for once it wasn't a horrid dream. For once he hadn't been dreaming of Padme's imminent death, but rather of more pleasant times. Of she and he talking and walking together, along the lakeside of her retreat, of him tickling her ear with a stalk of grass, just to irritate her. The look of amused outrage was enough, but he would grin wickedly at her, to annoy her further, until she would try to lash back, unable to catch him with his Jedi abilities. Padme always hated being teased, but…she always laughed so when he did. He loved her laugh. It was like listening to the rippling of the lake itself. He could almost hear it if he strained enough. How he rather wished he were back there right…

His eyes snapped open then, half expecting to see the cold, deep darkness of the Coruscant night staring back down at him. Instead, the gilded and painted ceiling of a fine room was above him, a room that looked rather suspiciously like one he remembered from Naboo. He turned his head to one side, and then to the other, rather regretting the movement as a slight ache in his jaw set off a mild pain just behind his eyes. He blinked to recall just what was going on here.

Palapatine…. Master Windu….Sith Lord…himself falling…Padme, this was the train of his mind as he stared at the finery about him. He sat bolt upright in his bed then, moving quickly for his sword that wasn't there, and realizing a bit too late that the dull pain in his side might have something to do with the dressings covering his currently naked chest.

"Ow," he winced, sitting back down heavily on the bed. It was a rather soft bed, a comfortable one, just like the ones on Naboo. Groggy with sleep, it took him several moments to notice the whir and hum of a medical droid, blinking at him mechanically.

"Sir shouldn't be up, you aren't quite well yet." The droid clucked at him, hovering towards him smoothly as it began to use one metallic finger to prod at his jaw line. Anakin frowned and pulled away.

"Ahh, your jaw has mended nicely, yes." The droid murmured, before glancing at his arm below. "Does your mechanical arm function well now? We simply refitted it with a model similar to the one we gave you before."

Anakin looked down at his arm then, memory coming back to him. He flexed the mechanism automatically, and the fingers moved smoothly. Yes, this was a new hand, different from the one he had grown so used to. "Yes, it is working fine."

"Oh, good, now if you please, Jedi Skywalker, return to your bed. The Senator will not be pleased to know that you are up before you are well." Anakin's eyes widened. Naboo, he was on Naboo! It wasn't a dream! This was where Padme had brought him for safety. Rushing past the protesting medic droid, he was out of the door and down the hall of the familiar estate, calling his wife's name down the marbled rooms.

It was on the veranda that he found her, staring at him with a mixture of amusement, embarrassment, and utter relief. He would have rushed to her immediately, if her companions hadn't caught him short. Senator Organa was gazing at him in surprise, trying none too hard to conceal his smile, but it was the sight of his two Jedi Masters that most shocked him. Standing stock still, he wondered briefly how to react, then immediately bowed his head deferentially towards the two, wishing for a moment that he hadn't just obviously revealed the nature of his feelings towards Padme Amidala, as well as wishing that he wasn't standing in only silken sleeping pants and bandages, in such a familiar way in their presence.

"Your thoughts betray you, Anakin," this was Obi-Wan, trying hard to hide a flicker of amusement in his even tone. "This is not the place for such turmoil."

Anakin felt even more like an errant padawan, caught out doing mischief by his own Master. "I'm sorry Master; I was unaware that you were even here."

"Yes, seeing as you were quite in a state, I doubt you would have been aware." Obi-Wan said with just a touch of his usual good nature, but then something else. What was it? Now awake, Anakin could sense something in the Force, emptiness, and an utter lack of living presence. It was as if hundreds of living souls that had been there were now forever gone.

A sense of dread, and a pain as deep as that he felt at his mother's loss filled his heart then. Both the Jedi Masters could sense it, he knew, and he made no attempt to hide it. His heart pounded, his newly healed jaw shook, and he could feel his eyes fill with tears.

"They are all dead…aren't they?" Anakin asked in barely more than a whisper.

He could hear Padme gasp, and Yoda sigh heavily. But it was his Master, his friend, who answered.

"Yes, Anakin, they are all gone. Palapatine…Darth Sidious…he…the Temple was raided."

Anakin thought of those last moments, staring down at the now horribly disfigured face, with its burning eyes and warped flesh. This was what the Dark Side was, power in the absolute. But oh, at what a price, part of his soul had found it tantalizing, enticing. The power to save those he loved, to prevent all of this and yet…

"He could just walk into the Temple and slaughter them all?" Anakin shook his head, dumbfounded. "The Younglings," he looked up at his Masters.

There were tears in Obi-Wan's eyes as well. Finally, the cool Jedi exterior broke, if only a little. "They were killed by him personally, Anakin."

Rage filled his mind then, rage and…fear, those two emotions he had been taught to overcome. He felt Yoda watching him carefully, but he could do nothing to stop it. He felt naked before his masters, held open, just as he had that first, fateful meeting with Qui-Gon Jin.

"I sense much anger, Skywalker, and much hate." Yoda shook his head. "You know where these lead, do you not?"

Anakin could still hear the silken voice of the Chancellor whispering in his mind. "I can help you save your beloved. I alone hold the key to that power."

He shuddered visibly, recoiling in disgust from it.

"Tempted you've been, yes young Skywalker?" Yoda cocked one ear in understanding, as if he too had been in a similar position. Anakin could hardly believe that.

"Yes," Anakin said simply. Now was time to confess. He glanced over at Padme, sitting calmly in her silken robes and resting a hand protectively over their child. Their child he thought with the slightest hint of guilt Yes, it was time to confess that as well. He looked up at her face, into her open, loving brown eyes then. She smiled only slightly, and nodded.

"Master, I feel I should be honest with you." Anakin said quietly, tearing his gaze away from Padme to look at the wizened Jedi before him unflinchingly. "I…I have been living a lie, one that I fear the Sith Lord used to his advantage."

Yoda nodded in understanding, but gestured at Anakin to continue.

"I have broken the Code, my Master, I allowed myself to become too attached to one I was supposed to protect, to become too possessive. I allowed my judgment to be clouded by my emotions, my desires. And in my concern only for my own wants, I have betrayed your trust, and those of my fellow Jedi."

Anakin bit the inside of his lip. This was the hardest part, the worst part, and the part that his pride was railing against. And yet…he had to face up to the consequences of his own actions, even if it lost him what little he had left in this universe. "After the battle on Geonosis, Padme and I married here on Naboo." He set the statement out between himself and his Masters with the finality of a death sentence. "I…I knew I was wrong, I knew the danger I was taking, and I did it anyway." Anakin looked then to Padme, who only serenely met his gaze with her own encouragement. "I love her, Master Yoda, I always have. To ask me to not, to command me to stop, it's…it's like cutting off a part of me, of who I am. I'm as connected to her as we Jedi were connected to each other. As Master Qui-Gon said many years ago, we are linked to one another, through our feelings, our connections, and our devotion to one another." Anakin sighed. "I realized this made me a bad Jedi, I tried rather hard to ignore it, but I couldn't. And lying about it only made me open, weak, prone to the Dark Side…"

"Darth Sidious then knew about your love," Yoda asked simply, without condemnation or scolding in his voice.

"Yes, and about my mother as well, he spoke to me often on it." Anakin knew now what was behind all of that, and felt rather foolish, taken in. "It was when he asked for my services, and he would speak to me. He knew, he sensed how much I missed my mother, how I feared for her…and for Padme. You are right, Master, it is a weakness, it does lead to the Dark Side." Anakin felt the remorse choke his throat then. Oh, if he hadn't been blinded by his own self-centered thoughts, his selfish and possessive desires.

"And yet, as you said, young Skywalker, they are as much a part of you as your very life. And this, perhaps, was what was so overlooked when taken in for study you were." Yoda's sounded wear, tired.

Anakin hadn't looked at Obi-Wan, hadn't dared to. He feared the look of disappointment he would find there, of hurt. But none of this came through as Obi-Wan spoke, as calm and unruffled as only his Master could remain.

"So, I would take it then that the Senator's child is yours then, Anakin?" This seemed to go without saying, but it did have the effect of breaking Anakin from his own circle of self-destructive thoughts.

Anakin looked up suddenly at his Master, smiling softly. "Yes, Master, the child is." A small place, somewhere deep inside himself, there curled that little bright warmth. It was that place within himself that his child already inhabited. Already he could feel its connection to him, through the Force, growing stronger and brighter as the days went on.

"You know what that means, Anakin," Obi-Wan's gaze was even, and perhaps, even a bit hopeful. "This child could have the potential of being just as powerful as you are."

"Hmmm, yes, strong in the Force you are, young Skywalker, and this you may pass on to your children."

Padme spoke then, her soft voice tinged with wonder and concern. "You mean, my baby, it could be just as powerful as Anakin?"

"Yes," Yoda said simply. "Strong lines of those with the Force were born out of certain families in past times. Many great Jedi came out of kinship to one another."

"But it was rare that a child was ever a direct descendant," Obi-Wan said pointedly. "Few Jedi ever left the order, though on occasion those that did leave married and had children of their own. Some of those did come to us, or at least their descendants. I myself have such members in my own heritage, respectable Jedi who left when injury disabled them or calling had left them."

Anakin blinked at his Master then, a sudden dread coursing through him. "Does this mean, Master that I will have to…?"

Obi-Wan shook his head sadly, his eyes turning towards the marble tiled veranda. "The old ways are dead, Anakin. Who are left but I, Master Yoda, and you to answer for it?"

"Right he is," Yoda agreed. "We are few…and you have yet to finish what you were meant to accomplish, Anakin Skywalker."

A weight hit Anakin then, the same weight he had felt while sitting in the Jedi Council chambers before rushing to confront Palapatine. It was the weight of destiny, of his place as the Chosen One. Yes, bringing balance to the force, that was what he was supposed to do. But how he was supposed to do it…not even he knew.

"The ways of the Force are mysterious, young Skywalker." Yoda murmured, eyes closed in thought, "the path's they open to us, clear not always are they."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The early evening glow had settled around the lakeside villa as Anakin had finished up with the medic droid, his new bandaging tight about his middle. A sleeping jacket over his shoulders made him feel a bit more presentable, but the medic wouldn't clear him for normal clothing just yet…or anything else for that matter, he thought sourly as he eyed his now empty utility belt, sans its lightsaber, sitting on the table beside him. Another one gone in the effort to save his life, he'd have to replace it again. It was a miracle of the Force he was even still alive.

"That was quite a shock your system took, can you explain what happened?" The medical droid had asked, and Anakin had faked it off with some mumbled excuse of falling near a power converter. Not that the droid believed him, but as medical droids weren't programmed to call you on a lie, it had said nothing.

He hadn't heard Padme enter behind him, but he knew she was there. He could sense it with the Force, as he could sense most things in the flow of the Force. Padme in particular though had a certain signature, a sort of sweet, graceful presence that stood out, even at her angriest and most unbending. Thus it was that when she reached behind him to adjust the collar of his sleeping jacked, he didn't flinch. Instead, he let his ever-alert muscles relax as she pressed herself against him in an embrace, as if trying to embed his presence into his skin.

"How is the baby?" Anakin asked quietly, as Padme released him and came around to face him with a soft smile.

"I don't know I'll get the results from the medical droid in the morning. It was just a standard checkup, more to give credence for my sudden return to Naboo than real concern." Anakin smiled down at her lovely form, her dark hair piled high on her head, her soft outline framed in cream colored silk. "I suppose I shall have to come up with better excuses to the Senate…and of course our new Emperor." Her face clouded then, and Anakin felt his own stomach turn at the mention of his name.

"So Naboo is accepting his supremacy then," Anakin asked hotly, not really angry with Padme. His soul was in turmoil and he knew it, he just didn't know what to do about calming it.

Padme's response was equally angry, but not nearly as heated. "What choice do we have, Anakin?" Her brown eyes stared up at him with a look of both despair and disappointment. "Of course, the Emperor will expect his home planet to side with him, can you imagine his anger if we do not. The embarrassment it would cause and the trouble holding on to what little sanity we have left. The galaxy is too weak for more war, and in this at least there is time to gather strength again."

"He's a Sith Lord, Padme, he'll destroy it for his personal gain!" Anakin countered, glaring at her. "You of all people would allow…"

"It's not MY decisions, Anakin." Padme tilted her chin at him, her eyes taking on the hard look they did, the same look she had as Queen when she would brook no argument. "It is the Queens decision. As distasteful as it is to her, she has no choice…our people have no choice." She sighed, the hard look being replaced by concern. "Anakin, you didn't know, none of us did. Not even Master Yoda with all his training…"

"You'd think as the Chosen One I'd have figured it out," Anakin said bitterly, turning to glare out of the crystal clear windows and onto the balcony overlooking the lake. There, crimson flowers bloomed over ancient marble, and somewhere a night singing bird had begun a melody. From the looks of things, you would have never guessed that the universe had just been turned upside down, Anakin thought ruefully.

"He promised me the secret of how to save you, Padme." Anakin said quietly, turning back to stare into her luminescent eyes. It had been so hard to talk to her before about this. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Now, it seemed as if he couldn't get his secrets and his pain out fast enough.

"I saw you dying with our child, I saw you in pain, just like Mom. And there wasn't a thing I could do about it. And he knew. He knew that was what I wanted. He always knew…just like he knew about Mom." Anakin pursed his lips, despite the dull ache still in his mouth. "I don't know, maybe he manipulated all of, it's so hard to tell. He wanted me, Padme, he still does. He keeps calling to me, enticing me. He offers everything I want and more. You with me always, unlimited power, and the ability to change the universe however I wish, but…"

"Anakin, do you know what you are saying?" Fear laced Padme's words, and he could tell without looking at her she was trembling.

"The Dark Side is looming there, Padme, like a great void beneath me. I avoided it for now, but it's not completely gone. And I don't know if I can stop it." Anakin looked back down at her. "I don't know if I want to endanger you like that."

"What do you mean," she responded softly, her voice catching in her throat.

"Master Yoda and Obi-Wan are going into hiding. They are leaving with Senator Organa in the morning. Their presence in the Force makes them targets for the Emperor, and he will be searching them out."

"Where will they hide then?"

"Yoda says there is a place he knows of that he can hide his signature well. It's a swamp planet, far off in the Dagobah system. It's not a pleasant place, but he isn't asking for much." Anakin shrugged. "Obi-Wan I've sent to Tattoine, to some places I know there that not even Tuskan Raiders can find. He's skilled at disguising himself, and it's one of the last places the Emperor would think to look for any of us, mostly as it's rather obvious. Besides…I'm rather worried about Owen and Beru. I don't want them to be punished because I managed to escape." Anakin grimaced.

"And yourself," this was the one, breathless question that was hanging between them, and Anakin felt his soul rent just slightly.

"I don't know, Padme, somewhere far from here. Some place safe for you and the baby."

Padme stared at him as if he were mad. He almost couldn't bear to look at the tears forming in her eyes. "Safe for us, don't you know that the safest place for us is where you are?"

"This is the first place the Emperor will look, Padme, he will come searching for me, and he will find me…and kill you. And it won't stop at you, but your family as well. Your parents, you sister, her children, they will…"

"Stop, Ani, just stop it." Padme rushed to him, throwing herself at him, tears wetting his chest and bandages. "I can't let you go. I can't live without you here. I won't lose you, not because of this."

"What choice do I have, Padme?" Anakin whispered in agony.

"We'll think of something," Padme said fiercely, raising her head up to glare at him with the old resolve he remembered from her when he was just a boy. "I have friends amongst the Gungan, you can hide there. I will make my home open, and I will make an open statement repudiating the Jedi and any connection to them I had." 

"The Emperor will never believe it…" Anakin started, but Padme shook her head.

"Even if he were to investigate, he would find nothing. As a former queen, I have Queen's confidence and her silence in all things. And Palapatine is no fool, he's a Nubian born and raised. He knows the only way to control this system is through its elected monarchy, and he can't risk losing control of his home world. It would give other systems too much excuse to be open in rebellion as well, the less he presses the subject, the better."

"But he'll try to kill you," Anakin insisted, thinking of his dreams. "You are still in danger…"

"Any more so than if you go into hiding? Face it Anakin, he knows about me, he knows how you feel about me, and even if you were to hide in the farthest star system, he'd use me to flush you out, if not Obi-Wan, or the Lars. He knows how to do this, Anakin, and he knows what your weakness is." Padme reached up to stroke his face. "Even if you were to hide, I'm still in just as much danger there as anywhere.

Anakin envied her politicians mind, he always had. She could always make it sound so easy. "Padme…"

"Please, Ani…we need you." She reached up to press a warm kiss against his lips. "Just as much as the rest of the universe needs its Chosen One."

Anakin wrapped his arms about her, crushing her to him. "If I do this, Padme, I could be running from my own destiny."

"Your destiny is to face Palapatine someday, not hide from him, Ani." Padme whispered.

How much harder would that be when he had even more things in his life to lose, Anakin thought painfully.

XXXX

Obi-Wan was pensive the next morning at breakfast as Padme outlined her plan for Anakin's survival to the two Masters. It was clear that he didn't think much of it, but whether it was because the plan was flawed, or because of his old, Jedi ways was uncertain.

"Anakin, I just can't help but worry about you being so close to those so personally involved with you." He murmured, eyeing his former student warily. "Darth Sidious knows…"

"No matter where I am in the galaxy, Obi-Wan, he can use any one of you against me." Anakin said firmly. "I might as well be close to Padme and my family as I can, if nothing else so that I can ensure that there is some sort of protection about them."

"Still…" Obi-Wan sounded uncertain. The slight cough of a protocol droid interrupted their conversation, and all those at the table, Padme and Senator Organa included, turned to stare at the gold plated droid.

"Threepio," Padme stood up immediately.

"Mistress Padme, the medical droid sent these results as quickly as it could, it said it was most urgent."

Anakin felt his heart leap then, and he quickly rose to meet his wife. Padme's face was pale, but impassive.

"Is something wrong?" He asked as she clicked on the data pad.

"I don't know, there shouldn't…." She stopped; staring at the data pad, shock registering on her delicate face. Anakin watched her carefully.

"Padme…" he tried not to fear, he tried not to fear…

"Ani," she whispered. "It seems that you are going to be the father of more than one child." She grinned then, a very happy, very exuberant grin.

"Twins," Anakin said dazed. Two children, he was to be the father of two children. Two Force sensitive children.

"Are you sure?" Obi-Wan had risen, and crossed over to them.

"The medical droid discovered it yesterday. With everything, I hadn't had time to get very many check-ups, but this…" Padme waved the data pad excitedly in front of her. "A girl and a boy, Ani, two of them," she was beside herself, and he could see it.

"Well…" this was unexpected. And certainly not what he had seen in his dreams. He wondered if Palapatine even suspected.

"Strong in the Force these children will be," Yoda called from his seat at the table. "Protection they will need, yes." Yoda tilted his head to look at Anakin thoughtfully. "Wise it might be for you to stay, Skywalker, and see to their safety."

Obi-Wan frowned back at the smaller Jedi, "But Master…"

"Admirable your concern is, Obi-Wan, but be wary of your feelings as well. Anakin's path is through that of the Force, our will it is not."

This vague statement caused both Jedi to turn and blink in confusion at the smaller, green creature. But he did not comment further, instead sipping from his own mug of liquid, and looked instead to Bail Organa.

"Senator, when ready you are, prepared are we to leave."

Obi-Wan glanced towards Anakin and back to Yoda, but said nothing more. With the equanimity that only Obi-Wan ever seemed able to manage, he bowed softly to the elder Jedi Master. "I'll see to gathering my things."

Anakin watched his Master go with trepidation. Things were not well with Obi-Wan, and Anakin was unsure of how to make this right.

XXXX

Obi-Wan Kenobi had but one course in his life ever, since nearly the time of his birth. Nothing had veered him from that courses ever, not the death of his master, not the raising of an unbridled youth, and certainly not the horror of war. But the loss, the total loss of all his way of life, this had left him unbalanced, unsettled. Anger, loss, yes, perhaps some of that, but really they were all with the Force now, no farther than he could reach with deep meditation. He had learned that all important lesson that Anakin still could not seem to grasp, that of letting go those feelings, of searching through them for the truth in all things. That was, after all, what his Master had been trying to teach him, correct.

The more Obi-Wan saw of Anakin's behavior though, especially with the shocking revelations on top of everything else, the more Obi-Wan wondered if he was perhaps missing a point, something Qui-Gon Jin had never had a chance to make clear to him years ago.

The door to his room, a much more lavish affair than he was ever used to, sounded then, and he didn't need to ask who it was. Anakin's presence in the Force was like that of a Bantha in the middle of a fine jewelry shop on Coruscant. It was nearly overwhelming if unexpected, and very hard to hide. This was amongst the many worries he had concerning his friend.

"Come in," Obi-Wan called; as he gathered the few odds and ends he had on him when they had landed on Naboo.

"Master, you seem troubled." Anakin was never one for small talk.

"It's a troubled time, Anakin." This was an understatement, but Obi-Wan clung to his balance at times like these, clung to it like a drowning man on a rough ocean.

Anakin was painfully aware though, and painfully insightful when he wished to be. "Master, you don't approve, of any of this. Of my marriage to Padme, of my flouting Jedi orders, of not listening to your council, that disturbs you, doesn't it?"

Obi-Wan only smiled at Anakin. "You are a Jedi Knight, fully grown, allowed to do what you wish. And yes, I am a bit disappointed, Anakin, but…"

"As you said, Master, the old ways are dead." Anakin said softly.

This hurt Obi-Wan somewhere very deeply inside of him, so much so he felt he could hardly breathe for a moment. He reached a hand to his chest then, as if trying to sooth the ache.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin crossed over to him, concern written on his young, handsome face.

"No, no, I'm all right." Obi-Wan smiled reassuringly. "It's just…" He stopped to stare at his friend, his padawan, and the only close human being he had left in this galaxy.

"You know, I never knew my parents personally?" Obi-Wan said. "I mean, I knew WHO they were, but I don't remember laying eyes on them, though I'm certain I must have. I was taken as a child to be raised in the temple, like all Younglings were, except for you of course." He smiled softly.

"I don't remember any other life other than that of the Temple. I had my friends, of course, other Younglings of my age and relative skill, and many of those went on to become Knights and Masters. From an early age you were taught, Anakin, that people are fleeting, those connections come and go. That their passing is but the nature of things, all we have is the Force, and through that we are all connected. Even the loss of their physical presence does not mean that they are ever truly gone."

"Is that why you considered me so dangerous, Master?" Anakin murmured.

"You were such an oddity, Anakin." Obi-Wan sighed. "A child born out of nothing, to a woman with no particular talent for the Force, who could fly better than any non-human at the pod races, and yet…there was such passion in you, such extremes of emotion, of everything!" Obi-Wan shook his head. "You gave everything, you loved everything, you worked harder at everything…and you desired everything, something a Jedi was never, ever supposed to do."

"I never knew such ideas, Anakin, it wasn't our way. There is danger on that path, immense danger, and I see it there for you. And you dance on the edge of that path, looking the Dark Side straight in the face, as if daring it, taunting it to swallow you whole. I think if it weren't for me and Padme, perhaps you'd have plunged straight on in, if nothing else because you thought that whatever it would seduce you with would help the universe!" Obi-Wan shook his head. "You, Anakin, are a creature I cannot understand. And I worry for you because of it."

Obi-Wan sat heavily on the soft, downy bed that he had been assigned, watching idyll as odds and ends of his equipment rolled about on the mattress with the shift of weight.

"I wonder sometimes if it was wise for me to do as Master Qui-Gon wished. He understood you and your powers so much more than I, Anakin. He could have made you a great Jedi; he would have understood you and your feelings. Qui-Gon was less bound to the Jedi Code than I, than the Council, he understood the ways of the Force in a manner I still cannot. It's unfortunate that he could not teach you as he wished."

"But you were a good master, Obi-Wan!" Anakin protested, but Obi-Wan shook his head.

"I am your friend, Anakin, and I do love you like my brother, like my son. But, you are treading a path that I'm not sure I can follow. And I fear, much to my chagrin, I'll have to let you do it alone."

This statement struck Anakin, and Obi-Wan could tell he had hurt the boy. "So I don't have your blessing for the path I'm taking then?"

"No, I couldn't imagine not supporting you in anything, Anakin," Obi-Wan protested. "But…I fear I have no more wisdom to give, no more insight. You are the Chosen One; I know it, despite the skepticism of others. I just wish…" 

"You could help me more than by watching from a dusty, desert planet, correct?" Anakin smiled lopsidedly.

"Well, if you put it that way…." Obi-Wan laughed.

Placing a hand on the older man's shoulder, Anakin shook Obi-Wan gently. "Master, I know that you still have a place and purpose in my way, I can feel it. I just don't know what that is yet."

Obi-Wan smiled at him. "Hopefully, it's not to come save your hide again."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Again, how high is the tally now, Master?"

"I told you not to count that one," Obi-Wan grumbled.

XXXX

While the two younger Jedi were conversing in Obi-Wan's quarters, by the lake, alone on a single bit of fallen marble, Yoda sat in heavy contemplation, staring fixedly at the water around him.

He had rather liked Naboo, it reminded him in many ways of his own, rather aquatic home world. He hadn't seen it in so many centuries, he thought he had forgotten, but even now, the smell of the sweet flowers from the Nubian foliage, and the swish of the fish just below the waters surface, and he was taken back.

"How long, Yoda, has it been since you allowed yourself to think of those things that you miss?" He had returned, just as Yoda had expected.

"Too long," Yoda replied to the spectral shape perched on a similar slab of marble beside where he sat.

"I had rather thought so. I always believed Naboo was rather lovely…when it wasn't being overrun with attack droids." Qui-Gon Jin chuckled to himself softly.

"Rather unchanging it is, Naboo. Unlike things in the universe," Yoda said softly, sighing heavily. "Doubts have your former padawan about this plan, yes." Yoda squinted at the ghost of the former Master, the rogue who drove the Council mad. Too brilliant he had been, and all too soon taken away.

"Obi-Wan always was a bit hidebound. He rather liked challenging me on rules and regulations. I can only imagine how confused he is now."

"Anakin's passions, these disturb him," and if Yoda was honest with himself, they disturbed him as well. But the path to balance, to regaining the delicate weave of light and dark within the Force of the universe, this required Anakin's unorthodox outlook.

"We Jedi had for far too long overlooked what it was to be ourselves, you know." Qui-Gon Jin said softly as he watched a flock of swimming birds begin to paddle serenely on the open waters. "As much as the Sith revel in their feelings, we hid from them, denied them, cut ourselves off from them, and in so doing, we blinded ourselves. What is that adage, cutting our nose to spite our face?"

Yoda snorted with a chuckle. "Peculiar sayings human's have."

"Yes, that we do, but all creatures have a soul, that is the first thing we learn about the Force." Qui-Gon sighed. "When did we Jedi forget that?"

Yoda tapped the stone beneath him with his gimmer stick absently. "Foolish was I for not seeing."

"No more than I, or Master Windu, or any of the other Masters past and present who did not prepare, did not see. We felt that the Sith were gone, that such prophecies were for a different time. We were all rather foolish, weren't we?"

"Think you that Skywalker will be successful?" Yoda muttered softly.

"Can one ever tell with a prophecy? The sad thing about them is that they can be interpreted any number of ways, and still come out different each time. Anakin could take any number of paths to accomplish what he must, but he must. It's his destiny, what the Force intended for him, and no matter what path he takes, that's the only steady thing about them all."

Yoda nodded. "The children, then, what role do they play in their father's future?"

Qui-Gon regarded his old Grand Master gravely. "You know that each person's path is their own. The children have their own role to play, yes, and just as great they will be. They will be the inheritor's of Anakin's legacy, you see, the start of a new Jedi Order, one based on the new balance that we seek. And hopefully, through them, we shall have peace."

"Peace," Yoda sighed. "Long for it I do."

"I know, my old friend. But the Force isn't done with you, either. And I have much yet still to teach you to prepare you for that. You…and my padawan," he murmured softly.

"And Anakin as well, hopefully, " he continued, as the soft, Nubian breeze blew by. "He may be the Chosen One, Yoda, but he is rather alone now, and that is a far too dangerous place for him to be in."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Emperor Palapatine stood placidly from his current office, watching the wrecking crews with a serene air as they methodically broke apart and piled the last bits of the building that had been the Jedi Temple. Such an eyesore, a symbol of insurrection against his power, it had to be destroyed of course. There was barely a whimper from the Coruscant Planetary Building and Zoning Committee when he issued his edict. Oh, there had been some who suggested it be used for perhaps a different purpose, mostly cheap minded city planners who hated wasting any available space on a planet so lacking thereof, but Palapatine would not hear of it. He had flexed his new, imperial voice, and all argument had been ceased.

Yes, he was in control now, there was no doubt of it, already the planetary pledges of support and good wishes were pouring in, as well as congratulations on the ending of the Clone Wars. Just this morning Bail Organa had arrived to personally extend he and his wife Breha's support in his new rule, and to hand deliver the official seal of the Queen of Naboo her own warm wishes and congratulations to 'our people's favorite son'.

Palapatine suspected those words had perhaps caught in Apailana's throat as she had dictated them, but he knew that she was no ones fool. Naboo, as his home world, would almost be obligated to follow him, if they knew what was good for them. And Apailana had one priority, and that was Naboo, she was a smart girl, much smarter in some ways than the headstrong and proud Amidala had been.

And as for that Padme Nabierre Amidala, he thought sourly, she had conveniently removed herself from the scene of conflict. How very clever of her.

He had stormtroopers tear through the city looking for Anakin Skywalker after that night, knowing that he'd either be dead or too wounded to have hidden. He had rather hoped, secretly of course, that Skywalker was alive, broken, so that he could easily bend him to his plans. But nothing had turned of him; the body of Mace Windu had been recovered easily enough. He had landed on a speeder full of drunken teenage children of ambassadors out for an evening. Nearly killed them all, it had taken more than a few silvered words with their parents to smooth out the details of Jedi's random death near the Chancellor's office.

Skywalker's body, which should have been nearby, was nowhere to be seen. All questioning of witnesses had turned up nothing. For all intense purposes, the damnedable boy was gone, vanished without a trace.

"Except I can still feel him," the Emperor muttered to no one in particular, breathing in deeply, as if summoning the Force signature of Anakin. He wasn't on Coruscant; he knew that, if anything he was searching for that young Senator he loved. That was the first place that Palapatine had looked for him. Her security tapes had been carefully and secretly seized, copied, and replaced while she was attending the Senate meeting where he announced his imperial rule. But nothing out of the ordinary was found, except for a call to Naboo, stating she was returning, and was not feeling well. Something with her child, or at least that was the excuse she was giving.

Skywalker's child…a valuable asset to be sure, Palapatine couldn't deny that. One almost worth considering, but no, he would wait. There was no guarantee that any offspring of Skywalker would have the power of the father, the sheer presence in the Force. Not to say they wouldn't be quite capable in and of themselves…but no, patience. Any child of course would be a threat, but he would rather weigh his options. Besides, as of right now, Senator Amidala had done nothing and said nothing against his Empire. A direct attack on a beloved figure of Nubian politics, and he could risk much. Rather wait, see what turn of events came of this, and whether Skywalker would find his way to her. Then, perhaps he could play his piece as he wished, and gain the prize he was truly seeking.

"My Master," the voice of one of his most trusted personal guards sounded from the doorway of his offices, and without turning, he beckoned towards him.

"Tell me of your findings." He croaked towards the figure he knew was kneeling.

"The search of the Senator's apartments turned up nothing out of the ordinary, at least nothing that we haven't seen before." Of course Palapatine was well aware of Skywalker's previous presence, anything new would be hard to detect.

"And her residence in Naboo," he asked.

"The Senator has taken to her home, seeing only medical droids. The Queen has made it known that the Senator's condition is very delicate at this point, and that Apailana has ordered her to her villa, with extra security to see to her protection."

Odd thing, for a Queen supportive of his new, peaceful regime to fear for her Senator's own life so much during a time when such threats were to be ended, he thought in amusement.

"Was there an explanation?" Palapatine barked out.

"Yes…Senator Amidala fears that Anakin Skywalker might try convince her to run away with him, or a kidnapping plot on the part of the Jedi. She declares she is loyal to the Empire, and the Jedi would be rather unhappy to hear this."

What was left of the Jedi, if there was anything, she meant. How clever Amidala was, she always had been smart, if a little bold for his tastes.

"Very well then," Palapatine turned to the guard. "Turn your attentions then elsewhere, I want you to create a group to start seeking out and destroying what remnants of the Jedi power base that remain."

The guard was obviously confused. "Sir?"

"I can trust only you on this. Find and track down any Jedi that you hear about in this galaxy. Others are out there, hiding carefully, perhaps unbeknownst to their protectors, or even in areas outside of our own personal control, rebels and traitors all. Hunt them down, kill them."

"Yes, my Master," the guard murmured.

Palapatine waved at him to rise and go, but stopped him before he got to the door with a hand gesture. "Wait…if you should happen across children, Force sensitive children,"

"Yes, my Master," the guard asked.

"Bring them to me, will you? I have a plan for them." The Emperor waved him off again.

XXXX

Anakin jerked awake again, his face and chest covered with cold sweat. Beside him lay Padme, sound asleep. She was so used to his nightmares by now that she slept right through them. Perhaps it was best. He doubted she would want to know his visions, his dreams.

Palapatine was searching for him, and he knew it. This was a very dangerous course of action he was treading, both for himself and his beloved wife and future children. He swallowed hard. Palapatine knew Anakin wasn't dead, and he was searching for his prize. Eventually, Anakin had a sad sinking feeling he would find him.

"Ani, are you all right?" Padme turned slightly, her face marred by sleep. "You aren't dreaming about…"

"Some," was his short reply. "In others you are alive, and we are happy, with our children. But then…" He couldn't finish. How does one explain to an expectant mother the vision of ones own children dying horribly before their eyes?

"Ani, you know what Master Yoda warned you before he left, these are visions, merely possibilities. The future is always hazy, especially when it someone you love."

"Padme, he's searching for me, he can feel me…" Anakin whispered hoarsely, "Even this far out he knows and sees me. I'm like a huge beacon in the Force, how can he miss me…"

"Does he know where you are at?" Padme asked, her hand immediately going to her now very swollen stomach.

"No," Anakin knew that. Else he wouldn't be searching so hard, so far. "He doesn't, but that doesn't mean I don't get his message." He could prevent these things. He could help these things never to happen. He knew Anakin's weakness, he knew what the loss of those he loved did, and it was all just a matter of time.

Padme shook her head then, as if to clear it, sending her dark curls cascading about her. "Tomorrow, you'll meet with Boss Nass, and you'll be taken to Gungan City. You'll be far away from me, and too preoccupied with our new Rebellion to worry about Palapatine. And I'll be up here, safe and sound." She smiled up at him; firm in her belief this was the best course of action. "And I'll let you know when the twins are arriving. The Boss has promised to get you here, 'mossa quick'." She tried the rather poor impersonation of the leader of the Gungan people, causing Anakin to smile, his dreams momentarily pushed aside.

"What will we ever tell them about their arrival?" Anakin chuckled, reaching for her and pulling her close.

"That they were born on a swan boat, and cherished as a prince and princess?" Padme said hopefully, laughing at Anakin's confusion. "That was what my mother told Sola and I when we were younger, and Sola told her daughters. They still think that they were greeted in Theed with cheers of jubilation."

Anakin shook his head. "Don't you think that's a bit mean to do to a child?"

"Of course not, parents tell their children fancy tales all the time. Didn't your mother ever tell you any?"

Anakin tilted his head thoughtfully. "One," he smiled softy. "She told me that the night I was born, a great dust storm had howled in from the desert. And while she lay there, waiting for me to be born, she heard the wind tell her to 'fear not'. That I would be a child who would be great someday, and the Skywalker name would be remembered through history for its great deeds and courage."

"Sounds so much less romantic that swan boats and gilded castles," Padme rolled her eyes. "How very boyish, it sounds towering and epic."

"Oh, it was," Anakin grinned, "Then there were all these other parts about killing the Sarlaac, and freeing the slaves of Tattoine. And of course, there was a beautiful damsel in distress I had to save."

Padme beamed at him.

"Or perhaps two, or three, Mom found I went through desperate women rather quickly in my imagination." He tried not to wince as her slap met his still bandaged chest.

"You won't tell those stories to our son when he grows, will you?" Padme look scandalized.

"I don't know mine might be tamed a bit. Perhaps he only gets to save one daring damsel," Anakin shrugged in a non-chalant manner. "Not that she needs saving, mind you, she's quite handy with a blaster."

"Still, she might just need a little protection. We can't have our little hero feeling too left out."

"Of course," Anakin conceded. "Say, did you ever decide on names for our two little ones yet?" Two, he still could barely believe it.

"Since you were so willing to help me on this," Padme's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I've decided that I will name them Luke and Leia."

"Luke," Anakin quirked an eyebrow, "it's a nice name, where did you come up with it?"

"One of my father's ancestors, it's a family name." Padme yawned slightly, and Anakin felt a pang of guilt. It was still very early in the morning, and with the growing twins inside her, Padme slept less and less.

"Leia, that was the name of a girl I met while doing voluntary work once. She was my age, very pretty, and very sad. Her entire family had died, and she was left alone to carry on. I kept in touch with her for a while, but then I became Queen, and we drifted apart." She sounded pensive. "I always wondered what became of her. She was one of the strongest people I knew once…well, before I met you."

Anakin felt his heart twist just a little. "I'm not that strong, Padme."

"You withstood a Sith Lord and his temptation, didn't you?" Padme said this as if this was a simple explanation. "That takes much strength."

"I suppose it does." Anakin didn't comment further. He knew he had only avoided Darth Sidious for the moment. The true temptation…that was still waiting and Darth Sidious was making it loud and clear that he hadn't, and wouldn't forget.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Obi-Wan Kenobi had never been fond of sand or of heat. Sadly, he had always found both on Tattoine. He grimaced into blazing twin suns of the desert planets solar system, and raised his cowl determinedly. Any normal citizen of this desert wasteland would have taken a native animal through it, but he didn't have that sort of time. He had rashly thought taking a land speeder would be faster and perhaps much more dependable.

As he stared at the overheated bit of metal, he muttered again how he disliked this planet. And here he was, willingly exiled to it, both because of the nature of what was happening to the universe, and because his closest friend asked him to.

"Remember, Obi-Wan, he has saved your life innumerable times." He muttered as he again checked the speeders engine, waiting it to cool to more manageable temperatures.

The Lars homestead wasn't far; in fact Obi-Wan hoped to be there by nightfall. He rather wished, ruefully, he had waited till then to even travel. But, the Lars were desert farmers, used to the natural hours of sun and shadow. Energy was, like everything on this bit of dust, precious in these parts.

He had never met the pair; Anakin had only met them once. He said they were nice enough. Obi-Wan knew that Shmi had married Owen's father, and in a way had helped raise the boy. He wondered how Anakin felt about that, about the fact that this young man received so much of the love of Anakin's mother, while Anakin was off treading the pathways to glory. Anakin didn't say much of it, but as one of his first concerns was for the Lars, he suspected that even if he did harbor such secret resentments, he wished no ill will on the young man or his new bride.

Reaching over to test the engine, he heard it whine, and roar again, as the engine, which had stopped rather abruptly two hours before, right there in the middle of what the natives called 'the Dune Sea'. Again, Obi-Wan wished for one of the animals native to the region. He seemed to do better with animals, but he climbed inside the vehicle, and carried on.

The first of the twin suns was just beginning to set when Obi-Wan reached the Lars outpost; a figure on a ridge had stopped in its work to observe his approach. He was a tall man, simple, but pleasant looking enough, with the rough clothes of a Tattoine native, and the apprehension of one who lived as secluded a life of the Lars did. He regarded Obi-Wan silently as the Jedi climbed from his now protesting vehicle, and walked across the sand to meet him.

"Owen Lars," Obi-Wan called, watching the man's actions carefully. The desert folk were always leery of off-worlders and strangers.

"Can I ask who you are?" Owen called back, not in an unfriendly manner, more just to gain the information.

"I'm a friend of your step-brother," Obi-Wan replied, hoping by remaining this vague he could gauge the reaction. He had no idea what this man felt about Jedi or Anakin in particular.

"Ani," Owen's eyes widened, and his stance became less guarded, but more worried. "Is he all right? We've heard vague reports of things, there have been Republic troopers about…."

"Imperial troopers now," Obi-Wan corrected him absently. "And yes, he is all right, he sent me to you."

Again, Owen was suspicious. "Why?"

Obi-Wan lowered his cowl then, despite staring straight into the setting suns. "Because I'm one of the last of the Jedi, and I'm here to protect you."

Owen looked into his face then, and Obi-Wan tried his best to appear as open and honest as he felt then. The man apparently found whatever it was he was seeking, as he finally nodded slowly, and then motioned to an arched doorway, leading down to what Obi-Wan assumed was a living area.

"Come in, then. Beru is preparing the evening meal." Owen even smiled at him in a friendly fashion. Obi-Wan returned it, making his way through the small, narrow passage into a warm, if somewhat cramped living area below.

The Lars home was typical of Tattoine farmsteads, made of baked mud composed of sand and water, reinforced with durasteel at weak points. It was opened around a courtyard filled with small, potted desert plants, and comfortable chairs where they could sit out on cool evenings. One room off the courtyard led to what Obi-Wan could see was an office, Owen's perhaps for managing the farm. Three others were rooms, perhaps living quarters for Beru, Owen, and whomever they had working with them, perhaps a hired hand or slave boy. And lastly, a dining area just off a small, but well lit kitchen, where a girl with neatly braided hair and quick hands worked about getting a meal together as she hummed quietly. She was very pretty, and when she looked up at them, her eyes sparkled with sweetness that Obi-Wan found refreshing on this rather dry planet.

"Beru, I've brought a guest. He's a friend of Ani's!" Owen called excitedly.

"Ani," Beru fairly beamed. Apparently Owen's stepbrother was well received by the Lars. "He's all right then?"

"Well enough, for the moment." Obi-Wan nodded. He'd tell them the rest when they were both settled.

"Come, sit. Beru, bring us something cool to drink."

The girl nodded as she turned behind her, rummaging about. Owen pointed to one of the two patio chairs. Obi-Wan sat, shaking off the dust of the desert from his robes as he did so.

"Empire, you said," Owen asked, as Beru came out to them with tall glasses of what looked like a bluish, milky substance. "What we heard last was of the Republic. When did this happen?"

"Recently, only days ago really," how quickly things had changed, he thought. "It had been coming for some time. The Chancellor had been taking more and more power. We were just too blind to see it."

Beru perched herself on the arm of her husband's chair. "We heard that the Jedi…"

"That much is true," Obi-Wan acknowledged, cutting her off from the last of that painful statement. "The Jedi are gone, all except for a handful of us. A conspiracy to undermine the Republic led to the implication that the Jedi were staging a takeover," Obi-Wan looked down at his glass. "All those who stood in the new Emperor's way were slaughtered."

Beru hugged herself as Owen rubbed her back gently. "And Anakin…"

"Is safe, though not out of danger," Obi-Wan assured them. "I must tell you though, as this involves you that the Emperor is seeking us out. Anakin personally is being searched for."

"Why?" Owen was incredulous.

Obi-Wan frowned in thought, trying to consider how best to explain it. "You see, all those who are Force sensitive have a certain amount of ability with which to manipulate the power. We Jedi have a way of measuring it, yes, but to the laymen, it's best to explain it in varying degrees. The average being in the Universe can only touch the Force at best, having good luck, knowing things through intuition, et cetera. But those who are Force sensitive are able to actually use the Force, and let it flow through them, and guide them."

The two nodded in vague understanding. Obi-Wan continued. "I myself have a rather strong capability, so did many on the Jedi Council, as did my Master. It takes great strength and capability to become a Jedi Knight, even more so to attain the rank of Master. You can imagine mine and my Master's surprise, when thirteen years ago, while stranded outside of Mos Espa, we sensed a boy who had such a presence in the Force it nearly smothered us, blinded us. A raw, untrained child left such a mark in the Force that my Master couldn't helped to be drawn to him.

"Ani," Owen muttered knowingly.

"Yes," Obi-Wan smiled. "He was the most amazing thing we had seen…and dangerous. He is by far one of the most powerful Jedi ever, and sadly, that also is what attracts him to the Emperor."

Beru frowned. "But why, if all the Jedi are considered outlaw now, would this so called Emperor be hunting him down?"

"Because, the Emperor is a Sith Lord," Obi-Wan said simply, "and Anakin could be the most powerful apprentice of any Sith ever. He could…be swayed to the Dark Side." Obi-Wan felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest. "He could…but has resisted it thus far."

"The Dark Side," Owen sounded troubled.

"Yes, it is the reverse of the Jedi in a way, the Sith are the opposites of ourselves. They are powerful in the Force, yes, but in a darker, more passionate way. They live on their darker emotions, use it to channel their abilities, and in the end, bring nothing but destruction and death." Obi-Wan shivered unconsciously. To think of someone of that capability controlling the known universe, it horrified him deeply.

"But you said Anakin has resisted," Beru insisted. "He hasn't turned…"

"No, he hasn't. In fact, he nearly died for it." At the alarm showing on their faces, Obi-Wan smiled in assurance at them. "He's fine now, he's safe. He's…" Obi-Wan wondered how much to tell them. "He was saved by his wife, Padme."

"Wife," Beru's eyes lit up. "He didn't tell us anything of a wife!"

Funny, Obi-Wan thought, he hadn't mentioned it to a lot of people. "Yes, well it's a dangerous situation, all of this. Hide this information as best you can. She and you are the prime targets of the Emperor's manipulations. If he can find a way to draw Anakin out, he will."

"We are in danger then?" Owen tightened his arm around Beru's slender waist.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said simply. "You are, as long as Anakin is being hunted. That is why I'm here."

The two glanced at one another, and then back up at him. Obi-Wan could feel the doubt they had. But it was Owen who voiced it. "No offence, Master Kenobi, but…well you are but one Jedi, from an order that is all but dead thanks to this…Emperor." The words looked as if they felt strange in other man's mouth. "How do you expect to protect us?"

"Believe me, Owen Lars, I am one of the few survivors. There is a reason for it." Obi-Wan assured him calmly. Not as a boast, just a matter of fact. "I promised Anakin I would. He sent me, to make sure you would be all right. I must hide anyway, and the Emperor would hardly look for me here." If anything, Palapatine assumed he was dead, killed at the hands of the very men Obi-Wan had assumed loyal.

"What are we to do?" Beru's pretty eyes were round now with worry.

"Nothing," Obi-Wan said firmly. "Do nothing unusual, act in no way strange. The Emperor will only watch for the moment, within a year he will have his hands full with the problems inherent in his new government. Tattoine will become some sort of protectorate, but he'll never have true time to devote to it. And you and I both know the Hutts rule here, and he'll be fine with that. Till that time, I'll watch over you as best I can." He looked up over the rim of the pleasant courtyard, to the rapidly darkening sky. "I'll see about finding a place in the Dune Sea, sufficiently hidden enough that I won't be discovered. I'll check in from time to time, but I must emphasize that you are to act completely normal. Any unusual behavior, at this time at least, and the Emperor will get suspicious."

They both nodded solemnly.

"Very well," Obi-Wan took a long pull of his drink, smiling as he set the glass back down. "Ahh that was quite good, Beru. I wonder if your cooking is quite as delicious."

Beru took the hint, and with a cheerful smirk, ran to the kitchen to finish dinner. But Owen still regarded him with a troubled face.

"Will Anakin be all right then? Won't he be in danger as long as the Emperor is alive?"

Obi-Wan knew that despite his dirty clothes and simple demeanor, Owen Lars was perceptive. "Yes, he is. As are his children, he and his wife are expecting."

"Children," Owen looked wistful. "Beru and I won't be able to have any, you know. An accident…well, perhaps it's just as well. Still," Owen looked thoughtfully at the small, purple succulent plants dotting the courtyard. "I wonder if he wouldn't just consider here for a change. I know, it's no life for a Jedi, certainly not for the adventurous Ani, but when things calm down a bit, and the Emperor's eye isn't as close. Well, he'd be safe here at least…"

Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile at the gesture, one of a near stranger to another, whose only connection happened through a marriage of their parents. "I could suggest it, but you know Anakin. Where there is danger, he is in the thick of it. Besides," Obi-Wan thought briefly of Shmi Skywalker, and Anakin's pain over her loss, "there's too much pain here for Anakin, pain that he can't dwell on if he's to stand against the Sith. Perhaps it's wisest that he doesn't."

"Still," Owen shrugged, looking over to Beru. "It would be nice to have family, especially children." Obi-Wan watched as the couple shared a glance, seeing how lonely they were here. In his heart, he could understand how they felt.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Anakin now knew why it was that Jedi were told never to love, never to marry, why it was against their very idea. The thought of someone you loved going through so much pain was so terrifying to him, so heart rending. The memory of the dream that had haunted him so only months ago hit him with full force as he sat in the medical ward, watching the Queen's own medics work about his wife.

"Anakin, I'm so scared, it hurts." The dream memory of Padme had cried as she had lay there, giving birth, dying in front of his eyes. He shook his head, trying as he might to dispel it. Padme wouldn't die. The old fears were but shade, possibilities of things that could happen. They were his fears being played for him by the Emperor, used to twist his mind. He kept repeating this mantra again and again, and the real Padme would whimper and turn to look at him through the glass dividing them from one another. Her smile, despite the pain, would dazzle him, and he tried to smile back. Fervently he wished he were in there, but the medical droids advised against it.

"The Queen feels that it would be best to allow our ruse to continue, and I'm certain that the security tapes will be monitored by outside sources." The droid had warned him. "The Queen has even taken to having my memory selectively restructured so that any idea of your presence will be removed. The Empire is watching, and Her Majesty wants to ensure both the protection of her people, and of Senator Amidala and you."

Anakin had accepted this wisdom with the grace he had been taught as a Jedi. That didn't stop his heart from fluttering each time Padme grimaced in pain, tears streaming down her lovely face.

"I'd be there, love, if I could." He whispered, wishing she could sense him as he could sense her. Perhaps in her way she did, as she smiled despite it all.

One of the medical droids had hovered to the side of the bed, a warm towel in its mechanical hands. A midwife droid was stationed at the very end of the bed, cooing softly as warm lights played on its mechanical face. He watched with anticipation as the droid bent close to the birth apparatus surrounding Padme, trying his best to clear his mind, to block all his anxiety and worry from the Force. "From the Emperor," he admitted absently. The Emperor would know soon enough of Padme's children's arrival. No need exacerbating the matter.

The midwife droid had started to coo then, as Padme cried out in pain and effort. In the droids skeletal arms, a squalling, purple creature emerged, apparently none to happy that it was being taken from where it resided so happily for several months. But no sooner had the child emerged than it quieted, and as it settled in the towel of the other medical droid, the droid hovered towards Padme's head, speaking in low tones. She smiled softly, and looked over to Anakin, her face alight with joy, even as more contractions took hold, and she winced again.

The medical droid set the first child in a small, floating bed, as it gathered another towel to repeat the procedure. Soon, almost before Anakin could think, another child was there, and again Padme smiled at him. It was over, they were both safe…as was Padme.

"The ways of the Force, young Skywalker, are often mysterious." Yoda had said once, and he had stubbornly refused to believe that he, the Chosen One, would ever be held in its secret. He realized in this moment, as he could feel his children, sense their presence fully for the first time, that he had been a quite foolish student.

The medical droid pushed the hovering cradle towards the door of the medical wing, as the other droid tended to his wife. Soon, she would be sleeping, and he knew it was well deserved. Until then, he would be the one to greet their children, their shared blessings.

"Healthy children, Jedi Skywalker," the droid said pleasantly, presenting the two babies to him. "The first is the boy child, what is it you plan to call him then?"

"Luke," Anakin stared down at his son, a tiny being, and the tiniest he had ever seen. He almost looked too delicate to handle.

"And the other, the girl child, she will be called?"

"Ahh, that one is little Leia." Anakin smiled down at her, wondering how she could be even more delicate than his son. How was it even possible?

"They are slightly small for normal human birth weight," the droid told him calmly, "it is common for multiple human births. But they appear to be healthy."

And strong in the Force, Anakin noticed. Already he could feel Luke's presence there, strong and firm. Leia's was much more subtle, soft. More like her mother, he thought.

"Can I hold one?" Anakin asked tentatively. The droid nodded, and picked up Luke carefully, placing him in Anakin's mechanical arm.

Anakin stared down at Luke in wonder. He was truly the most magnificent thing Anakin had ever seen. Currently his eyes were closed, but Anakin wondered at what he would see in them if little Luke did try to open them.

"Would you like to hold your daughter as well?" The droid inquired.

"Oh, yes," Anakin switched off one baby for another, holding his small daughter with the equal care he had given his son.

"Hello, Leia," he whispered, as the little girl yawned sleepily, and snuggled in her towel. "You've had a rather rough day, you and Luke. I should let you rest with your Mother, but I had to say hello first." On impulse, he kissed the top of her downy head. The baby smelled of a soft scent, and he smiled.

"It is sad you have to come into a universe so much like this, where we must live in hiding and deception. But, I promise you, little Leia, it will change someday. One day I'll be able to live with you and be the father I would love to be." He reached over to his son then, stroking the baby's face with his own, natural finger. "I'll raise you to be Jedi, to serve the people according to your talents." He smiled softly. "And most of all, I'll teach you to never fear love, to never fear who you are. Fear is the path to the Dark Side, little ones. Don't ever ignore who you are, never deny what is inside you." He chuckled.

"You are Skywalkers, after all, how in the stars could you ever ignore that?"

XXXX

As Anakin Skywalker held his children for the first time, far away on Coruscant, the Emperor watched from his battleship, a newly commissioned affair that he had built during the Clone Wars. Beside him stood Tarkin, a former military strategist in the Grand Army of the Republic, a thin, reedy, nearly parasitic looking man, with the eyes of a bird of prey, and the grim smile of an executioner. Palapatine was rather glad to have him as the head of his Imperial Fleet.

"How are the plans coming for my secret weapon, Tarkin?" Palapatine hissed softly, as he made his way along the bridge of the battleship, classed as a star destroyer. Tarkin nodded in approval at a skeleton floating in the space beyond them, a ghostly vision of metal and wiring that hung in space like the remains of a lost and dying ship.

"They go as scheduled, Your Excellence." Tarkin watched the station with a critical eye. "I believe in a few years, you'll have the very weapon that will finally control any rebellious elements that might rise across the galaxy. With this weapon, no one would dare to stand against you."

"That is the idea, Grand Moff Tarkin," Palapatine chuckled lowly, "and my fleet?"

"The transition from the Republic to the new Empire has been smooth. The clones have streamlined much of it. We will soon be able to enlarge our forces and start setting out to far flung star systems in order to keep regular patrols."

The Emperor nodded approvingly. Things were going according to plan…well, almost.

"The Jedi threat, Your Excellency," Tarkin could almost read his mind. "It has been effectively neutralized, correct?"

The Emperor said nothing for several moments, watching as Tarkin paled slightly under the weight of Palapatine's displeasure.

"It has been neutralized, Tarkin, at least for now."

"So there are elements that escaped?" Tarkin said smoothly, despite the potential of incurring the Emperor's wrath.

"I will handle those personally, Tarkin." Palapatine snapped. "The Jedi are like a wounded animal now, if not handled properly, they'll do as much damage as it would take to destroy them. Their numbers are dwindling, their power is diminished, and soon, they will all but be extinct from the galaxy.

"And soon," he thought darkly to himself, "Anakin Skywalker will be mine."

AN: Thank you so much for the response to this, my first SW fanfic. I do have sequels planned, but at this time I'm in finals in my last semester at UCLA, so I'm a bit swamped. Hopefully soon I will get those done. In the meantime I might post fanfic I have archived for others genres, so feel free to read that. And soon, hopefully, the adventures of Anakin and Padme will continue.


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